Sears says it will install replacements for the 1930s windows in Oakland. The windows were broken during protests over the acquittal of George Zimmerman.

Sears says it will install replacements for the 1930s windows in Oakland. The windows were broken during protests over the acquittal of George Zimmerman.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Jonathan Germain checks his phone for a list of burned-out street lights that he had notified the S.F. Department of Public Works about.

Jonathan Germain checks his phone for a list of burned-out street lights that he had notified the S.F. Department of Public Works about.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Sears Oakland broken windows fix on the way

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Some problems spotlighted by Chronicle Watch in recent months are especially stubborn.

Mass illegal dumping in Oakland, for instance, has no easy solution. BART says it's not worth it to replace lackluster machines that add value to tickets but don't take credit cards.

And San Francisco's parks department says it simply doesn't have the $1 million needed to restore Fay House, a historic showcase property in disrepair.

But other cases featured here saw results - or, at the very least, the promise of results. Here are some updates:

Broken-window theory: Oakland residents complained to Chronicle Watch that while every other business downtown repaired broken glass from protests following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in July, the Sears at 20th Street and Broadway had yet to replace its smashed windows.

They said the shabby plywood standing in place of glass gave the area an abandoned, blighted look.

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Sears officials told Chronicle Watch in December that the custom windows date back to the 1930s and that replacing them is "more complicated than those in a typical building." At that time, the corporation had a month to respond to a general blight citation issued by the city's building department a month prior.

According to department head Rachel Flynn, Sears responded with a verbal confirmation that they ordered the windows. "They expect installation in about a month," she said.

The hills are alive: A month after Chronicle Watch highlighted a trash-ridden hillside between Highway 101 and Potrero Avenue in San Francisco in August, Caltrans sent in crews to move out homeless encampments and clean up vegetation to deter future squatters.

"I wrote to them and thanked them!" said neighbor Rick Dillenbeck.

But he said the crews didn't pick up garbage left behind by the transients or the litter that tumbles down from the highway.

Agency spokesman Steve Williams said a crew will be heading out to the hill to pick up trash next week. He said that though San Francisco's maintenance crew is small and won't be able to divert resources for regular cleanups, the workers will take care of issues "as needed."

Shine bright: Residents of San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood were so frustrated that burned-out streetlights weren't getting fixed that they organized a group of people to scout out the bad lights and petition for repairs.

Chronicle Watch reported the effort in October, and within days, city officials responded. Utility crews surveyed the neighborhood for dead bulbs and, to date, 76 light repairs have been made in the area, according to the city's Public Utilities Commission.

The commission continues to ask residents to report burned-out lights so they can make fixes. Not only can people call the city's 311 help line, but the agency has developed a smartphone app to report the failures called StreetlightsSF.

Not so Mint-y fresh: Those responsible for restoring the San Francisco Old Mint at Fifth and Mission streets have resigned themselves to the reality that the rehabilitation won't get done on schedule.

Fundraising for the restoration has fallen short. The recession, which stymied both public and private investment, went on too long. And deadlines for turning the 130-year-old building into a world-class history museum have passed.

Over the past year, the historical society has worked with the city to make upgrades to the building so it can open to visitors. Dozens of events were held there last year, and more than 40,000 people were able to visit, Sosnaud said.

Meanwhile, the historical society says it's hoping to open two floors of public exhibitions to showcase California history in about five years.

Don't even think of ...: Chronicle Watch reported in May that San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency was using temporary no-parking signs that always blocked off a 100-foot zone - even if the person requesting the sign only needed 10 or 20 feet. This led to cars being unnecessarily towed.

A few weeks after the column, the city rolled out new signs marking off smaller zones. Now all sizes of tow-away zones are available.